Code Geass: Second Chances
by stepawayfromtheyam
Summary: What if Lelouch had a chance to turn back time? Where would he start and what would he change? How would he handle his problems if he had a second chance? Rated T for Violence and Language
1. Chapter One: Second Chances

Okay, so the start is kind of lacking, IMO... The story _really _starts in the second chapter.

If you're interested or have something to say, please leave comments.

Thanks!

~Chapter One: Second Chances~

"Wha… Where am… I?"

"He's awake! Quick, come over here!

"What are you yelling about! Oh… He's awake!"

"That's what I just said…"

"Whatever, but he's awake! We saved him!"

"You… what do you mean you saved me? What is this about?"

"You don't remember? You've been in a coma for about three months, so memory loss would most likely occur in this situation. You were attacked by Zero… He stabbed you, Lelouch."

Lelouch examined his surroundings. He was in a laboratory, floating in a tube filled with some liquid. There were bunches of wires running through the tube, into his body. A , allowing him to breathe and talk, covered his mouth.

He looked out the tube. He saw two people, but the liquid blurred his vision.

"I remember now…" Lelouch thought back to the day he was stabbed. "NO! The plan! It wasn't supposed to turn out like this… I'm not supposed to be alive! Get me out of here!"

"What are you talking about, Chancellor?"

"Stop! Don't call me Chancellor! I'm Lelouch Lamperouge! Lelouch vi Britannia died three months ago! He never survived! If anybody finds out I'm alive… The plan will be ruined…"

Lelouch winced. A sharp pain filled his stomach. He looked down. There was a large scar covering where he was stabbed. _Damn Britannian science… _Lelouch thought to himself.

"Please, let me out of here…" Lelouch asked.

"Well, I guess we can. Okay, get him ready to be extracted."

Lelouch sat at a table by the tube he awoke in. The two scientists stood by him.

"Tell me… How did I get here?"

"A group of your guards rushed your body from the scene, so the Elevens couldn't get to it…" one of the scientists replied.

"Japanese…" Lelouch said under his breath. "What is the current state of Britannia?"

"Well, the Black Knights have been a problem, for one thing. While you were out, they took control of Japan, liberating them from Britannia. In your absence, Schneizel has taken the role as substitute-Chancellor. He's made attempts to retake Japan, but the Black Nights have stopped Britannian forces every time. We've also lost quite a bit of land to the Chinese Federation… Britannia is losing its power... I'm sorry to tell you this, Chancellor."

"Damn it! I've told you, don't call me that!" Lelouch smashed his fist on the table in front of him.

"But, that's what you are. Out of respect, we call you Chancellor."

"That's an order!" Lelouch glared at the two scientists. "Don't refer to me as Chancellor ever again! Call me Lelouch Lamperouge!"

"Yes, Lelouch Lamperouge…" both scientists replied.

_My Geass… I almost forgot… Damn! Where are those contacts!_

"Lelouch Lamperouge, is something the matter?"

"No, everything is fine. Who knows that I am still alive?"

"Nobody really, just Schneizel and the guards who brought you here."

"Good. Keep it that way. Now, where am I supposed to stay?"

"I would guess your castle…"

"No… Give me some clothes. I'm leaving."

Lelouch walked down a street in the Homeland. _What am I supposed to do? The Zero Requiem will be foiled if I'm found out to be alive… Everybody will put their hatred upon me again…_

Lelouch sat down on a bench beneath a tree. _Is this really what I want? I mean, how things are right now…_ He kicked at a pebble by his foot. _What if I could have done something different? What if I could have stopped my father without taking the path I took?_

Lelouch remembered what C.C. had said. She warned him not to be reckless with his power. _What if I could save the friends lost along the way? Maybe I could have just liberated Japan and united the Black Knights and Britannia? Damn! All of my mistakes I made… None which could be erased!_ He clenched his fists. _…Especially… What if I could have saved Shirley? No. She is just a girl… Don't regret what you did just because you lost a friend… But Nunnally? She hated my guts in the end… She's the reason I took this power…_

_ Shirley… What would today be like if you didn't die? I was so blind to never find my feelings for her. They were right there, but I ignored them. She died loving me… It wasn't until she died in my arms that I knew I loved her… If I only had another chance, I could right my wrongs to her, to Nunnally, to my friends, to the World… But mainly… If I could bring Shirley back…_

Lelouch stood up, pulling the hood that hid his identity further down over his face; he was crying. _Crying… How absurd… After all I've been through, I decide to cry now?_

Lelouch walked around, thinking to himself, until it grew dark. Suddenly, somebody bumped into him.

"I'm so sorry, good sir…" the man said.

Lelouch looked at him. He was an old man, probably about 70 or so; maybe older.

"It's fine. No problem." Lelouch smiled at him.

The man gasped.

"I'm sorry, is something wrong?" Lelouch asked.

"You're… You're eyes… You hold the Power of the Kings, too…" The man reached for Lelouch's hood and pushed it away from his eyes. "You've lost control of your power… You can't turn it off…"

"You're right… I abused the gift; now it's a curse…" Lelouch looked into the man's eyes. "You've lost control, too."

"Sadly, yes…"

"Can you tell me about your Geass a littler more?"

"Heh, if you buy me dinner!"

Lelouch and the old man sat at a table in the corner of a restaurant. The old man was eating his dinner, but Lelouch didn't even touch his.

"Now, can you tell me about your power?" Lelouch asked.

"Now, Son, I want to know about your power first. What is it you can do?"

Lelouch studied the man for a second. _I have to be careful. I have to make sure he doesn't use Geass on me… I guess I'll tell him. He seems like a good person._

Lelouch spoke up, "Whatever I tell somebody to do, they have to obey. The downside is that I can only use it on somebody once… and I can't control it. I've hurt a lot of people because I can't turn it off…" Lelouch thought back to when he accidently made Euphemia go on a massacre of the Japanese. He didn't tell the story, of course, because he didn't want to give away his identity.

"Some power. I'm guessing you want to hear about mine now." The old man had stopped eating and grew serious. "With my Geass, I can turn back time…"

Lelouch's eyes widened. _This… has to be fate… What if…_

"Sir," Lelouch interrupted, "Can you turn back another person's time-line?"

"I can, but the consequences of turning back time are worse than you could imagine. I've found that out the hard way… And I can guess what you're thinking, and the answer's no: I won't turn back your time so you can fix a problem. Trust me, I've gone back to fix something many times, but another bad event always has to take that event's place… Whatever you want to change can change reality today drastically…"

_Of course you moron! I'm willing to take the consequences! Just send me back in time! What if I use my Geass on him?_ Lelouch thought.

"You're going to use your Geass on me, aren't you?"

"I won't have to if you just turn back my time right now."

"I will never allow you to do so. The world is finally growing quiet… I don't want you to accidently change that."

Lelouch clenched his teeth. "I don't think you understand… I'll use my Geass on you, and you'll _have _to submit… No matter how bad you want to reject it, you'll have to. Just like Nunnally and Euphemia…" Lelouch was talking about when Nunnally tried to reject his Geass when she didn't want to give up the Freya Controls.

"Nunnally and Euphemia? It… was you who made Euphemia kill all those Elevens, wasn't it? You're Zero… You're…"

Lelouch threw his hood back and stood up.

"…Chancellor Lelouch… Lelouch… is Zero…" the man finished.

"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you… Send me back to the day Shirley died!" Lelouch's eyes lit up. The old man's eyes suddenly grew bright red.

"You'll see the consequences yourself! You'll regret what you've done, but you won't be able to change back time again! No… I can't… I don't want to use it… History as we know it will change!"

The others in the restaurant were watching the situation, unable to believe Lelouch was alive.

The old man's eye's lit up over the bright red. "If you wish, Lelouch… I'll turn back your history…"

Everybody in the building froze. Before Lelouch knew it, he watched time rewind. His history sped by. He watched Zero take back the assassination him, he watched himself give Nunnally back the key to the Freya Bombs. He watched Rolo come back to life. He watched countless soldiers awaken from death. He watched himself give up the throne. He watched his father and mother take back their attempt to cleanse the earth. He watched all of his history in reverse.

Lelouch stood silent as he watched Jeremiah Gottwald walk towards him. He pressed a switch. From the top of the train next to him, a series Gefion Disturbers came out, stopping Jeremiah in his path.

Lelouch began talking, but suddenly stopped. _What is this? Déjà vu? I've been in this situation before, haven't I? What… is happening?_

Lelouch grabbed his head, whispering under his breath, "What the hell is happening?" He winced as the events of the future crowded his mind. "That never happened though!"

"You bastard! What are you mumbling about!" Jeremiah said, trying to fight the Gefion Disturber.

"I… remember… Shirley! Listen, Orange, I don't have time for this! You have to understand: my Mother, Marianne vi Britannia, was killed by Britannia. That's why I've been fighting this fight. I'm doing this to bring vengeance upon Britannia, upon my father!"

"That… Can't be true! She was killed by an attack by assassins!"

"Think about it! Don't be so hard headed! You weren't with her when she was killed, were you? Trust me, I speak the truth! I want you to join me in my fight against Britannia…"

"I… No. I can't trust you! It… sounds so true. When I think about it… But you're my enemy… I…"

"Damn it, Orange! Join me or don't! I have to save somebody! Make the decision!"

"Lelouch… I promise… I will help you in your fight to bring vengeance on the Britannian Empire… for Marianne… I'm sorry I didn't believe you…"

"This is no time for apologies!" Lelouch pressed the button to the Gefion Disturbers. They turned off and Jeremiah stood up. "Lord Jeremiah… I need your Geass Canceller… Your first assignment from me will be to use it on Rolo vi Britannia. Now, follow me."

Lelouch and Jeremiah ran from the site. They scaled flights of stairs, when Lelouch froze. Jeremiah's Geass Canceller kicked in, allowing them to move.

"He's right around the corner, Orange. You may leave now," Lelouch explained.

They turned the corner. Rolo had his gun aimed at Shirley's stomach.

"Rolo? What are you doing?" Shirley asked in a frightened voice. Rolo had obviously used his Geass to stop time so he could kill her.

"My Geass! What happened to it!" Rolo started to panic.

"Rolo!"

He turned. Lelouch was standing there. "Brother! You're going to be so proud of me! Shirley here was trying to kill you! She knew all about your power and that you were Zero! She knew too much, so I was going to kill her! Why did you stop me?" Rolo asked.

"Don't kill Shirley, Rolo! If you even attempt, I will kill you myself if I have to!"

"Brother, she's our enemy! She wants to kill you!"

Shirley interrupted, "No, Lelouch! I don't want to kill you! I promise! I know everything, but I've forgiven you! You have to believe me!"

"I do, Shirley… I believe you entirely. As for you Rolo, I'm afraid you've made me angry. I'm a good person, though, so I'll allow you to live if you put your gun down…"

"Don't even try to use your Geass on me, Brother. I'll just freeze our surroundings and kill you then. I'm sorry, I have to kill her! I know it's for the better! Trust me, Big Brother! Just believe in me!"

"Damn it, Rolo! Stop calling me that! We're not brothers! You'll never replace Nunnally!"

"I don't care what you say! I know you'll love me if I do this! I just know it! Our enemies must die, right?" Rolo aimed his gun back at Shirley's stomach. "Goodbye Shirley…" His eyes began to glow….


	2. Chapter Two: New Ends, Old Beginnings

*NOTE* ~Oi, sorry this chapter took so long to make. I've been so busy with Driver's Ed, and when I'm not in Driver's Ed, I have friends who want to hang out, family coming over, and chores… :P Driver's Ed is the real problem… Once that's over I should be able to continue with the story more^-^' Heh, sorry for the wait!~

~Chapter Two: New Ends, Old Beginnings~

"Rolo!" Lelouch yelled as loud as he could. With that split of a second, Rolo made his mistake. He glanced at Lelouch from the corner of his eye. Lelouch's eyes were glowing. It was too late for Rolo. He was caught in Lelouch's glare. Lelouch spoke up in a strong, low voice, "…Die."

Rolo started shaking. "B…Brother… Big… Brother… Why?" Rolo removed the gun from Shirley's waist. He shoved it between his neck and jaw. "This… is for you… Big Brother…"

Rolo slowly squeezed the trigger back. With a "snap" from the pistol, a ribbon of blood spewed from Rolo's throat and skull. He faltered and fell against the wall, sliding to the ground. Several seconds passed as his body twitched; his neck hissed from the lack of blood. He was dead.

Shirley stared at Rolo's limp body in horror. Lelouch approached her. She turned to him and dug her head into his shoulder; Lelouch held her head. Shirley began crying; not knowing to feel sick, thankful, or anywhere in between. She was just glad Lelouch was there in time.

"Come on, Shirley. Let's get out of here…" Lelouch led Shirley out of the building and back to the school. On the way back, neither of them said a word. Shirley was still in shock from what happened and Lelouch was brainstorming excuses to Rolo's death.

Lelouch and Shirley were entering the main-gate to the school. "Lelouch…" somebody said from behind the two. It was Suzaku. "Lelouch, I need to talk to you… about something important."

"Of course, Suzaku, what do you need?" Lelouch replied.

"Shirley, can you go back to the school and wait for Lelouch?" Suzaku asked.

Shirley nodded and left.

Once she was gone, Lelouch spoke up, "What is this about, Suzaku?"

"Did you know… Rolo is dead?"

Lelouch stood quietly, thinking to himself, _What do I do? Here's a chance to tell him everything… I have a chance to explain things. Should I even tell him what's happened? Should I tell him I came from the future? No; nobody must know I've seen the future…_

"Lelouch, tell me the truth. Don't lie to me anymore!" Suzaku grew angry as he waited for Lelouch's answer. "Usually a man would be sad about the loss of his brother… You haven't even slightly shown sadness." Lelouch still didn't answer Suzaku. "Damn it, Lelouch! Start explaining! I know you where there! I know you were at the mall when Rolo was killed! Did you kill him? Was it you, Lelouch!"

Lelouch smirked. "Of course I'm not sad. Why would I shed a tear for a traitor like Rolo?"

"What are you talking about? Why are you calling him a traitor?"

"I can't believe you haven't caught on until now… You see, Rolo joined me," Lelouch said as his smirk grew into a smile. "You see, he realized that I'm fighting for what's right."

"So, you've actually gained your memory back? How long has it been since you remembered?"

"A while now; ever since that day at Babel Tower."

"You're definitely a great liar… but why did you choose your old ways again? You were given another chance… a chance to actually live a real life!"

Lelouch's smile disappeared. "A _real _life! Are you _that _blind! Think for once! My father, and I say that _loosely,_ switched my memories with a fairytale world! A world where everything is perfect! A world where I go to a school with my littler brother, and day in and day out, we're smiling and laughing! I don't know if you've ever noticed, but that's not real life! Look around you, Suzaku. Look at what Britannia has done! For example, look at the Shinjuku ghetto! They murdered almost everybody there just to cover up their own secrets! You, a Japanese yourself, fight for the people who murder other Japanese for cover-ups!"

Suzaku stopped Lelouch, yelling, "You're no better you _bastard_! Look at what you've done! You've killed hundreds of Japanese just to frame Britannia! You think that's any more _just _that Britannia! Worse than that, you killed your own sister Euphemia… You also killed your own brother, Clovis. You're just as sick as _they _are… You use humans for your own personal gain; I bet you'd even use your beloved sister if you had to… Nunnally.

Lelouch stood there silent for a second. He was about to attack Suzaku for saying something like that, but he didn't. He remembered when he did use Nunnally. He had used his Geass on her in the future. Even though he promised to protect her, he ended up using her. _But… I used her to do the right thing…_ Lelouch thought to himself. _I used my Geass so I wouldn't have to tell her the truth, though… It wasn't the right thing after all… I'm… sick, _he thought to himself.

There was silence between the two when Lelouch finally spoke again, saying "You're right… I would use her. I'm a sick person… I swore I'd use my power to create a safe world for Nunnally, but in order to achieve that I would go as far to _use _her… Perhaps she's not my reason for doing this? Perhaps it's just my hate for Britannia… My hate for my father… And I did kill my own siblings… You're completely right, Suzaku… I am a Britannian… I, Lelouch vi Britannia, am no better than my father. I… don't want to be like him… I don't want to be sick like him… It's too late for me, however. I've gone down this road already. I've killed my siblings, so I might as well complete my goal and kill my father, and while I'm at it… liberate Japan."

"Lelouch… I'm sorry things had to turn out this way…" Suzaku walked over to Lelouch and put his hand on his shoulder. "I _do _hate Britannia, Lelouch, but I've sworn to protect it, too… Why _did _you choose this road? Why couldn't we have been on the same side, my old friend?"

"We can't be on the same side because you're fighting for the country I hate… Even worse, you're fighting for the country _you _hate. Why don't you fight against them? You know they're the bad guys… Can't you join me?"

"I can't, Lelouch… I've sworn to protect Britannia. I've sworn to avenge Euphemia… and take you down."

"I'm tired of lying to you… If I tell you the truth about Euphemia, will you join me?"

"What are you talking about?" Suzaku pulled his hand away from Lelouch.

"I didn't make her kill the Japanese on purpose. I didn't want to kill her, either… but I screwed up, Suzaku… I screwed up bad. You see, she knew I was Zero. We were about to make a treaty that the Black Nights would have helped her with the Specially Administrated Zones of Japan… but when I was trying to explain my power, I lost control of it… I didn't know, of course. I told her 'if I tell you to kill all of the Japanese, you would have to.' My Geass took over her body, and she was forced to kill. And, of course, once my Geass is used I can't take it back. That's why I killed her… If I didn't, she wouldn't have stopped there. She would have killed all of the Japanese if I didn't do what I did… There was no way to take it all back. So I lied about the whole ordeal…"

Suzaku's eyes began to tear up as he thought of that day. He said quietly, "Why should I believe you…"

"Because," Lelouch began, "I'm telling you this as Lelouch, not Zero… Just think about it… Think back to when we were friends… Would I really do something like that on purpose?"

"You murdered Clovis…"

"He was different. He ordered Britannia to kill all the Japanese in Shinjuku. If I didn't kill him, he would continue to kill Japanese…"

"Lelouch… I… actually think I believe you… I think you're telling the truth…" Suzaku looked into Lelouch's eyes. "You're saying this as my friend, aren't you? Maybe now, things won't be so rocky between us… Maybe we can be close like we used to…" A tear rolled down Suzaku's cheek. "I'm sorry, Lelouch… I'm sorry I've been like this to you… If I had only known the truth…"

Lelouch raised his hand to Suzaku's face and wiped the tear away. "You're not the one who should be asking for forgiveness… I'm sorry I never told you the truth about everything… but on this night, you and I will swear to destroy Britannia and free Japan, even if it means out own deaths!"


	3. Chapter Three: Sick

QUICK NOTE: This chapter gets vulgar and violent in the end, so I wanted to warn you so you're not like, "OMGWTH!" when you read it… :P Enjoy!

~Chapter Three: Sick...~

Lelouch walked side by side with Suzaku as they approached the school. Shirley was standing there, watching the two approaching. The two smiled at her; she smiled back.

"Shirley, you've regained your memory, haven't you?" Lelouch asked.

"Lulu…" she said. She looked up at Suzaku.

"Don't worry, we've made up… and he's joined me…" explained Lelouch.

Shirley walked over to Lelouch and grabbed his hand. "By the way, I don't hate you for what you've done… I loved my father, but you didn't know he was there when you killed him… and I know you erased my memory. I don't care about any of that, because it could never stop me from loving you… Lulu, I can protect you… I know I can. I would die for you if I had to." Shirley began to cry again as she said this.

"I'll leave you two alone," Suzaku joked as he walked away. "I'll make up a story about Rolo's death… Just pretend you don't know anything about it, okay?"

Lelouch and Shirley didn't look away from each other. Lelouch held her head up. "This time, you won't regret this*…" He leaned in and kissed Shirley. The two wrapped their arms around the other.

"Hey hey hey! I hope I'm not interrupting something!"

Lelouch and Shirley looked up. Rivalz was walking by.

"It's about time you two hooked up! Sheesh, Lelouch, I was starting to think you would never have gotten the picture!"

"Rivalz, what are you talking about "never getting the picture, and what the hell are you doing out here, anyways!" Lelouch asked.

"Heh, come on! You've never noticed Shirley had the hots for you? Oh, I came out here because I never heard from you all day! I was about to go see if you were home, but saw some people out here."

Shirley blushed when Rivalz said this. "Hey! Was it really _that _noticeable? Lulu, you _are _blind!"

Lelouch laughed. "Well, I could kind of tell I guess…"

The three smiled at each other. During that moment, Lelouch thought to himself, _I'm happy I'm able to be with my friends again… Rivalz, Shirley, Suzaku… I hope this time around I can continue to keep everybody close, but still manage to be Zero at the same time. Of course this time I'll have to take a different approach to everything so I don't screw this up…_

Late that night, Lelouch was staring out the window of his room. _What do I do now? _he thought to himself. He remembered his father. _Father… I need to kill him before he takes V.V.'s code… That's what I'll do…_

Lelouch took his cell phone out of his pocket and called Suzaku.

"Lelouch? What's up?" Suzaku answered.

"The first thing we need to do… is kill my father."

"Are you serious?"

"Is that something I would joke about?"

"Right… sorry. That was a stupid question. What's the plan?"

"If I'm right, my father is in the homeland at the moment. I need you to bring me in…"

"What? Do you mean capture you?"

"Yes, exactly. I need you to _only _tell my father, though. Request a meeting with him, and tell him about me killing Rolo and regaining my memory. Tell him that you'll keep it quiet until I am brought before him like before."

"Yes, Lelouch, I will do exactly what you say…"

"You're telling me Lelouch has regained his memory?"

"I'm sorry, Emporer… It's true. I've been observing him for some time now, but I'm certain he's back to normal…"

"Well, I knew it would happen sooner or later… Very well… I want you to make the arrest."

"Do you want me to keep secret about this until you speak with him?"

"I suppose… Yes, I want to speak to him before I decide his fate. Arrest him without anybody finding out. You may leave."

"Yes, my Lord…" Suzaku stood up and walked away.

"Ohgi, I just wanted you to know that Orange Boy is on our side, so I've told him to follow your directions."

"Really? Sir Jeremiah's joined the Black Knights?"

"He did. Now there are a couple other things I need to discuss. The first is that I will be leaving for a couple days, and I want you to fill in until I return."

"Of course, Zero."

"The second is that I've sent coordinates to the Geass Order…"

"The… Geass Order? What's that?"

"It's where secret training is being conducted. They're training people to use a power known as Geass… A power that nobody should possess… I need you to kill everybody there. You _will _leave no survivors; you will not leave any children, either."

"You mean we have to kill children, too? Zero… Isn't that kind of… Morbid?"

"Fine; don't kill them. They won't hesitate to use their powers on you though, and they _will _kill you if you don't kill them. I can't explain this power well. If you see it yourself, you will understand it. You won't have to worry too much, because Jeremiah has a Geass Cancelling power. Don't bring anybody who isn't up to the job, and as we know, Orange Boy is skilled with his Nightmare."

"Yes Zero… We'll get on it…"

Lelouch closed his cell phone and walked out of his room. His phone began to ring; it was Shirley. He answered, "Hello Shirley."

"Hey Lelouch… Um… So do you… like… maybe want to hang out or something?"

"I'm sorry Shirley. I have to go somewhere right now, but as soon as I return we'll do something together…"

"Oh, of course! I mean, because you're always so busy and all… Um, thanks anyways. I guess I'll talk to you later then… Bye."

"See ya, Shirley," Lelouch ended the conversation.

He walked out onto the school courtyard and down the school gate. A car was parked in front; Lelouch entered the backseat.

"Are you ready for this, Lelouch?" Suzaku was in the backseat, too.

"Yea, let's do this," Lelouch said.

Suzaku spoke to the driver, "Okay, we're ready to go."

"So this is your friend? Alright, you're going to the Britannian airbase, right?" the driver asked.

"We are, thank you."

Lelouch and Suzaku exited the car once they arrived. They were both silent the entire way to the base.

"There's out ride…" Suzaku pointed at the Lancelot.

"You're saying we have to cram ourselves in there all the way to my father?" Lelouch asked.

"Yea, sorry… It gets worse. I have to keep a bag over your head and have your hands cuffed so we can make it to the emporer… What are we going to do once we reach the homeland?"

"I'll explain once we're on our way…" Lelouch replied.

Once they were in the Lancelot, Suzaku cuffed Lelouch and put a black bag over his head.

"Wait… can't we just do the prisoner thing once we get closer? It'll already be uncomfortable as is…" Lelouch complained.

"Well, I guess. That's probably a good idea," Suzaku responded.

The two were flying towards the homeland when Suzaku asked, "Lelouch, are you going to tell me the plan?"

"Once we get there, you'll cuff and bag me, and you'll get the guards to let us in. Once we're in, you'll let me go and I'll use my Geass to get to my father… Once he's dead, I'll need to make a call to finish the plan…"

"Alright… That's exactly what will happen, then…"

"Emporer, Suzaku is on his way here, but he won't tell me why… Do you want to see him, or do you want me to reject his request?"

"It's fine. I'm expecting him… Tell him that we're not at the homeland, but we're on my ship…"

"Yes, my Lord…"

Suzaku turned to Lelouch, who was sitting in the back of the Lancelot. "He's not in the homeland… He's on his ship right now, so you'll see the emporer sooner than planned… We'll actually be there shortly."

Lelouch nodded. _He's on his way to take V.V.'s code, no doubt…_

After a short while, Suzaku spoke up. "There's the emporer's ship…"

Lelouch looked out the front of the Lancelot. A giant ship was traveling through the sky. "I'll put the bag and cuffs on my self…" Lelouch told Suzaku.

Suzaku landed Lancelot on the deck of the ship and brought Lelouch to the door. The guards stopped them. "Halt, who are you and what business are you here to attend?"

"I'm Suzaku Kururugi and I'm here on a mission from the emporer."

The guards moved away from the door; Suzaku pulled Lelouch inside. He led Lelouch down the halls, until he reached the door to the emporer's room.

"Well, Lelouch… This is it, huh? Good luck…" Suzaku said as he un-cuffed Lelouch and removed the bag.

Lelouch pulled a small box from his pocket. He removed his contacts and placed them in the there. He looked at Suzaku. "Thanks… wait for me in the Lancelot. I'll find my way there once I've completed my mission…"

_His eyes… _Suzaku thought to himself as he stared into Lelouch's eyes. "Of course…" Suzaku walked back down the hall.

Lelouch pushed the door open and entered the room. Two more guards were standing there.

"Hey, who are you?" one of the guards asked.

"Tell the emporer Suzaku Kururugi is here to see him…" Lelouch told the guards.

The guards' eye's lit up and they walked back to another room. Lelouch hid behind a pillar by the door the guards entered. The emporer came out, saying, "Ahh, Suzaku… You've brought my troublesome son back to me… Suzaku?"

Lelouch walked out from behind the pillar. "Father…" he said.

The emporer quickly turned, making a deadly mistake. He looked right at Lelouch's face. Lelouch continued, "Never use your Geass again…"

Lelouch's eyes grew bright; the emporer grabbed his head and walked back. "My son…"

"Don't call me your son… I'm your _bastard_! You left me to live a life without my parents!"

"Are you referring to your mother's death?"

"You know as well as I do that she's not dead… you and her have been planning to activate the Sword of Akasha, and I'm here to stop you…"

Charles zi Britannia, Lelouch's father, smiled. "It seems you've somehow been enlightened about out plan? I'll even give you a chance to join us!"

"You son of a bitch… you fake the death of my mother… and you used your Geass on Nunnally to never walk or see again… The two things I've become who I am for: they are _lies_! Why would you even _ask_ me to join you!"

"I would think any child separated from his parents would want to be reunited with his parents… but I was wrong. By the way, how _did _you find all of this out?"

"That doesn't matter… because I'm going to kill you here."

"Oh really? Why didn't you just kill me with your Geass?"

"Because I wanted to kill you by my own hand…"

"Like how you killed your siblings?"

"Clovis was no better than you… and Euphemia… that was truly an accident…"

"Oh, it seems you forgot about your brother Rolo…"

Lelouch clenched his teeth. "He's not my brother! You replaced him with Nunnally, don't you remember! He deserved that… I enjoyed killing him, just like how I will enjoy killing you, Father." Lelouch pulled a pistol from his school coat, aiming at Charles' head.

"It seems that's one thing you never found out."

"What are you talking about?"

"You never knew? You didn't know Rolo is actually your blood brother?"

"Shut up you bastard!"

"No, I speak the truth… He was taken from your mother when he was still a baby**…"

Lelouch lowered the gun. "You… you aren't lying…"

"Why would I lie to my son?" Charles said, bringing his arms up as if he was going to hug Lelouch.

Lelouch looked down. "Rolo… was actually my brother… just as Nunnally… is my sister. I killed my brother? A brother who was born from my mother?... I… I killed our brother…"

Lelouch suddenly looked up. Charles had dashed at him, trying to pull the gun from his hand. Lelouch pulled the trigger. Charles fell to the ground and grabbed his side.

"You BASTARD! You… _fucking _BASTARD!" Lelouch screamed, aiming the gun at his father's head. "You hid the fact Rolo was mine and Nunnally's blood brother! You cursed Nunnally's life! You took my mother away from me! You sent me to Area 11! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"

Charles had managed to drag himself towards the door he appeared from.

"I HATE YOU!... I _HATE _YOU! I _FUCKING _HATE YOU!" Lelouch continued screaming in a bloodthirsty voice.

The door Charles was trying to get to suddenly swung open. The two guards Lelouch used his Geass on ran out and aimed their guns at Lelouch. Lelouch moved his aim from his father's head to the guards. He fired quickly, striking one in the stomach and chest; the other in the shoulder and throat.

"Le… Lelouch…" Charles said, struggling for air. "You're truly… you're truly no different… from me…"

Lelouch bit down on his lip, drawing blood. He threw the gun's aim back at his father.

"Lelouch… You don't… you don't need to do this… Spare… me… Please… spa…" Before Charles could finish his words, Lelouch unloaded the rest of the gun's ammo into his father's head.

He stared at his father's unnoticeable face. Blood covered the walls, door and floors.

A tear rolled down Lelouch's cheek. "I'm just as sick as him…"

-REFERENCES-

*Referring to Code Geass (First Season), episode 13, when Shirley tells Lelouch she's sorry for kissing him.

** Referring to the spinoff Code Geass manga: Nightmare of Nunnally.


	4. Chapter Four: Have no Regrets

~Chapter Four: Have no Regrets~

"Suzaku, I'm on my way back to the Lancelot. Get it prepared to take off."

"So, is it actually over?"

"No… Not quite yet. The emperor may be dead, but we still have Britannia to deal with. I'll see you soon."

Lelouch put his phone away in his pocket as he left his father's room.

"You, halt! Why was there gunfire!" Several guards blocked the hall Lelouch was walking down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything. Why don't you… Why don't you _all _go for a swim?" Lelouch asked.

The guards' eyes lit up and they walked away. Lelouch smiled and continued down the hall. He thought to himself, _No for the next part of the plan: to make a deal with the new emperor._

Lelouch walked out on the flight-deck. Suzaku was waiting for him in the Lancelot; Lelouch climbed in.

"Um… Lelouch, did you just make a group of guards jump overboard?"

"That's not important… I'm going to call Schneizel now…"

Lelouch pulled his phone back out and dialed a number.

Somebody answered, "Yea, what is it?"

Lelouch frowned, "Tamaki, this is Zero."

"Z…ZERO! Hey pal! Sorry, I didn't recognize your number! I thought you usually contacted Ohgi or something like that! Hey buddy, my friend Zero, I didn't mean that! You'll forgive me, right?"

"I need you to get me in contact with Britannia."

"Oh… You don't want to talk to me? I mean, it's all cool, Man! Uh… Yea so, Britannia? I can do that! Hang on a sec... I mean, hang on a sec, Sir!"

"Tamaki… Just hurry up."

"Yea, sorry, Zero!"

Lelouch shook his head, _I swear, something just isn't right with that guy… And why does he always think I'm his friend?"_

The line clicked, and a voice answered, "This is Zero?"

"It is, now let me speak to Prince Schneizel."

"I'm sorry… Zero… I don't… Never mind, he'll speak with you."

There was a pause, and then Schneizel answered, "Zero… Who would have known I would have gotten a call from _you _today. What is it you want? Are you going to tell me you're giving up and disbanding the Black Knights?"

"Prince Schneizel, how about we have a little talk… Just you and me. No guards, no guns, no microphones or video… How about… A friendly game of chess?"

"Oh? Normally I don't accept meetings with terrorists, especially without any guards… But I do enjoy a nice game of chess, so I will accept."

Lelouch could hear murmuring in the background. The others with Schneizel were telling him it was a horrible idea to do so. "Sorry, Zero, did you hear all of that? Don't worry, I'll gladly accept your invitation, but I expect there is more you want to discuss… And where should we meet?"

"You'll be given coordinates by a member of the Black Knights. Goodbye, Prince Schneizel."

Lelouch hung up and put his phone away.

"Hey, Lelouch, are you sure it's a good idea to meet with him? I mean, he _is _Britannian, and you _are _Zero. He's going to have a trick up his sleeve to capture you, no doubt."

"I think I might have an offer he won't be able to refuse…"

"Ah, Zero, so we meet again! What a discreet location." Schneizel looked around. He was in a deserted warehouse. Zero sat at a table in the middle of it.

"Please, Prince, have a seat," Zero said. Schneizel walked over to the table and sat down in the seat opposite of Zero. A chessboard lay in front of them.

"Zero, it's your move first."

"Yes, Prince."

Zero moved a piece across the board.

"So, Zero, what is it that you _really _called me here for."

"I'd like to thank you for coming according to my rules."

"I'm a prince, and it wouldn't be very princely to not obey rules, would it? Now, tell me why you called me."

It was Zero's turn again. He moved the King a space. "I want to ask you: how badly do you want to become Emperor?"

"Moving the King? I believe you used this same tactic last time we played this game. You know, you remind me of somebody…" Schneizel moved a piece. "I would love to become emperor. I mean, who wouldn't? Of course my father is already the emperor, and being that I'm only Second Prince of Britannia, I won't have a chance. As you know, my older brother Odysseus is next in line for the throne."

"I can change that. I can make you emperor. I can kill the emperor and make it look like you sent people to do the job. That'll rightly make you emperor, no?"

"I suppose that could work, but how do you know I'd actually want to be emperor that badly?"

"Don't tell me you've never thought about killing the emperor. You hate how he does his job, don't you? You think you'd be a much better ruler, and I believe you could be."

"Why _would _you want me to be emperor? That would just mean you'd send out for my death, and that mean I'd be dead and so would my father. Then, after you kill me, that'd rightly make _you _the ruler, am I correct? Is that your plan, Zero? By the way, Check."

Zero studied the board and moved his King out of the way for danger. "You thought that out quickly. I think you know what I want in exchange."

"Hah! What, Area 11? You already own that cute little island. Is _that _not enough? Check."

Lelouch moved his king again. "No, my "cute" island _isn't _enough. Don't play dumb, you know I'm out to liberate Japan. Do you want you father dead or not? If you don't, I have better things to do than play chess with you."

"I'll tell you what, Zero, if you make me emperor, I'll _think _about giving you Area 11."

_Think about it? That's not good enough… I've come this far though… I might as well. At least I won't be emperor again, _Lelouch thought to himself. "Okay, Prince, you have a deal." Lelouch threw a picture on the table. Schneizel picked it up.

"Oh… It appears my father is already dead? What great news. Now I believe that makes _me _emperor. Are you stupid, Zero? You went as far to murder the emperor, but you didn't bother to make yourself ruler? You truly _are _stupid. Now I'm emperor, and I still own Area 11."

"I was trying to be civil, being that you _are _my brother. It looks like I'll have to kill yet another one of my beloved siblings." Lelouch took of his mask and set it on the table.

"Oh my, what a surprise. Well, not really. I figured you might have been. I haven't seen you for a long while, but I remembered that you always used the same tactic in chess. Zero used the same one, too. It looks like I win again, though, Brother." Schneizel moved a piece on the chessboard. "Check Mate. You actually think you're going to kill me? I was related to the emperor, so of course I won't play by the rules. Now, kill Lelouch."

Suddenly the door of the warehouse broke open and several Britannian guards ran in.

Lelouch's eyes lit up. "All of you: die!"

"My dear Lelouch, don't play such games. You do know that _you're _the dead one here, right?" Schneizel said.

The guards brought their weapons to their own heads and fired.

"No, Schneizel, I believe _you're _the dead one." Lelouch turned to his brother. "You know, I don't think I can kill another sibling, but I can't believe you would go as far as killing your own father and all of these guards… Your sanity is gone, dear brother. You've literally become a murdering psychopath!"

Schneizel's eyes lit up. "Goodbye, Brother." Lelouch walked out of the warehouse. Schneizel grabbed one of the guard's guns and ran after him. He exited the warehouse, but Lelouch was gone.

"We mourn the loss of the 98th emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia: murdered by his very own son and Second Prince to the throne, Schneizel el Britannia. I declare myself the new emperor, Odysseus eu Britannia!"

Lelouch watched the live coverage of the emperor's funeral with the rest of his school. Rivalz leaned over to Lelouch, saying, "Hey, can you believe this? The emperor's actually dead… I know I can't."

"I believe it, but now his son is going to rule… All of his children are just as corrupt as he is… Every last one of them…" Lelouch told Rivalz. _Even me… Especially me, but I will change. I'll be better than him, and I will take his empire down…_

The next day, Lelouch sat with a crowd of people, all morning the loss of Rolo Lamperouge. _Two funerals in a week…_ Lelouch thought to himself, _and both two people I hate… who just so happen to be family._

After the funeral, Lelouch stood at the freshly packed dirt, eying Rolo's grave. People kept coming up to him and telling him they were sorry for his loss; he wasn't sorry, though. Even with finding out Rolo was his true brother, he still hated him. He wished Rolo could have been different, but was glad he killed him. He was glad he saved Shirley, and he was glad he killed Nunnally's imposter: the imposter his father switched all of his memories of Nunnally with.

"Hey, Lelouch, I know this has to be hard on you, and I really don't know what to say… I just hope you're going to be okay," Rivalz said to Lelouch. Everybody in the student counsel surrounded him.

"Guys, I'll be fine, really. I promise: I don't hate anybody for this. I do wish things could have been different, but he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time… Really, guys, I'm fine," Lelouch explained.

After a while, the student counsel left, all but Lelouch and Shirley.

"Hey, Shirley, now that you've regained your memory and have joined my fight, I think I should tell you the truth about _everything_."

"Um… What do you mean, Lulu?" Shirley asked.

"I'm the emperor's son: Lelouch vi Britannia…"

"Well that explains why Nunnally is the viceroy now…"

"Right, but about Rolo: he was my real brother, too."

"Lulu… I didn't know… I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. He deserved it. I couldn't live knowing you were murdered by my own brother. My father told me he was taken from my mother when he was a baby. He told me this right before I murdered him."

"You… Killed him, too? It wasn't Schneizel?"

"No, I killed him. I hated him, just as I hate all of my siblings; all but Nunnally. I hate Britannia… I hate it because it's my father's… I hate him because he disowned my sister and me… I hate him because he ruined Nunnally's life with his Geass. You know, Nunnally can actually see and walk, but my father used Geass to make her crippled and blind."

"Lulu…" Lelouch looked up at Shirley when she said this. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged tightly; he did the same.

"…I promise I will do whatever it takes for you to accomplish your goal and defeat Britannia, and to free Japan," she finished. "I promise, Lulu…"

-OKAY… The next chapter I will get on with the story more… You have my word xP Schneizel's kind of a bastard, so I wanted him to get out of the way.


	5. Chapter Five: Suzaku Interrogated

~Chapter Five: Suzaku Interrogated~

"Um, Lulu… I was wondering if you wanted to do something today… I mean, since there aren't any classes. So, how about it?"

Lelouch looked up from his book. "Sorry Shirley, what was that?"

"I was just wondering… If you wanted to hang out or something today…" Shirley repeated, twiddling her thumbs by her waist nervously.

_Right… Classes have been cancelled for the entire week to mourn the emperor's death, _Lelouch thought to himself. He closed his book and told Shirley, "I'm sorry… I have some important things I need to take care of. I should probably be on my way."

Lelouch stood up and began walking out of the Student Counsel room. "Wait," Shirley said.

Lelouch stopped and turned to Shirley. "What is it?"

Shirley looked around the room to make sure the others weren't looking. She walked up to Lelouch and leaned over, whispering into his ear, "Um… Are you going to the Black Knight's headquarters?"

Lelouch nodded and waited for Shirley to say something else. When she didn't, he began to walk away.

"Please, Lulu, can I come, too?" Shirley said quietly. She looked around the room to make sure nobody heard her.

Lelouch waved Shirley to come into the hall with him. She went over to him. Lelouch spoke, saying, "I don't want you to come… I don't know what the other's would say if I bring a Britannian."

"But, you're Britannian, too."

"Yea, and they are already suspicious because of me being a Britannian, even if they obey me…"

Shirley grabbed Lelouch's hand. "Lulu… I would do anything for you, and you know that. You know I want to help you, so please; I want to come with you for once. How can I join the Black Knights if I can't ever come to headquarters?"

"Suzaku doesn't come to headquarters, and he's in the Black Knights."

"Yea, but Suzaku is also working with the military, and he's using that as an advantage to help the Black Knights, isn't he? I'm just sitting at school doing nothing…"

There was silence between the two for a minute. When Shirley realized Lelouch didn't want her there, she began walking away, but Lelouch stopped her. "Alright, you can come."

"Everybody, I'm back."

"Heeeeey! Zeeeeero! How's it going, buddy?"

"Tamaki, hello. How has everything been here?"

"Fine, I guess. Hey, now that you're back, how about I buy you a drink or something? C'mon, Zero, we're buds!"

"Sorry, Tamaki, I'm fine."

Zero walked through the crowd of Black Knights, almost every single one greeting him with respect. People started turning their heads to Shirley, who was following Zero.

Finally, somebody yelled out, "Who the hell is that Britannian! What's a damn Britannian doing at our base!"

Everybody started making remarks about Shirley, but Lelouch stopped them. He threw his hand up. All of the talking stopped. "Listen to me! You belittle her because she is Britannian! I believe you are all forgetting that I, too, am Britannian! You wouldn't say those things about me, would you? And your fellow Black Knight, Diethard Ried, is also a Britannian! Remember, our enemies are those who hate us. Anybody willing to give their life for the Black Knights: they _are _a Black Knight! This girl's name is Shirley Fenette, and she is willing to give her life to fight against our enemies!"

"If Zero thinks you're alright, you can't be all the bad!" somebody said as they approached Shirley. "I'm Shinichir o Tamaki, I'm sure you heard Zero talking about me at some point!"

"Um… I don't think I remember him saying anything about you…" Shirley told him.

"Well, I'm _sure _you have, but clearly can't remember… So, you and Zero are friends, eh? Are you… 'Friends?' I thought Zero hooked up with that green-haired chick! Damn, Zero! Who would have thought you were the lady's man! Hahaha!"

Zero sighed. "Tamaki, shut-up… That's an order."

Tamaki smiled, "Sorry, Buddy! I… I'll talk to you later!" He quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"He's… How do I put this? Loud," Shirley said to Zero. "Wait, who's this green-haired girl?"

"Tamaki's different, let's say that… and the green-haired girl is C.C. She's pretty much my backup when I'm gone. It's usually her and another Black Knight, Ohgi, who keep this place under control when I'm at school."

Zero and Shirley continued through the base until they finally reached his room. When he entered, C.C. was standing there.

"C.C., I'm back," Zero said.

"Why is _she _here, Lelouch?" C.C. snapped back.

"Jeez, take it easy. She's a Black Knight now."

"Oh really? I think you're beginning to get to trusting with people. Don't forget that the world _hates _you."

"Listen, Shirley isn't…" Lelouch was cut off by Shirley.

"Hey, I don't know who you are, Miss C.C., but you don't even _know _me, so don't you ever imply I might be a traitor against Lelouch!" Shirley interrupted.

"Listen, School Girl, the only reason you joined is to be with your darling Lelouch, but unlike you, the rest of us in the Black Knights actually _care_ about what we do!" C.C. said back.

"C.C., Shirley, stop. You two are working together now. Shirley is going to be your partner now, so you are just going to have to live with it. I don't know why you're taking such an approach wither her, C.C., but you need to just accept it. I'm Zero and I'm the one who makes the decisions around here. I will allow whoever I want to join the Black Knights."

"I'm… sorry Lelouch. I won't speak of it again," C.C promised him.

"Suzaku Kururugi, where were you during the Emperor's assassination?"

"I'm sorry, but I swore to the Emperor himself that I would not speak of my mission at the time."

"Again, where were you during the Emperor's assassination?"

"I'm sorry… but I swore to the Emperor himself I would not speak of my mission at the time."

"Hm… I see you're persistent, but here's the thing, Knight, we _know _you were on a secret mission for the Emperor. We _need _to know what it was, though."

"I see, so you're accusing me of assassinating the Emperor. Is that because I'm Japanese?"

"Are you getting smart with us, Knight?"

"No, but I don't like it that after all I've done for Britannia, the first person you suspect is Japanese. Now, I will say this one last time, the Emperor _swore _me to secrecy about the mission. Are you saying you want me to disobey the Emperor?"

"Charles zi Britannia is no longer emperor, as you know. It was a direct order from Emperor Odysseus."

"I thought it was said that his brother Schneizel was the assassin."

"We have reason to believe that he wasn't…"

"Well, listen, I'm leaving now. This is obviously going to go in a circle, because I can't tell my mission's details, and you'll keep asking me what they are. Goodbye…" Suzaku stood up from the table, and walked away from the interrogator.

"Heeeeey, Lelouch and Shirley, where have you two love-birds been up to, smooching?"

"Shut up, Rivalz… We were doing nothing like that!" Shirley fired back.

"Whoa, jeez, can't you take a joke? Sheesh… So, what _where _you guys doing?" Rivalz asked.

"We were just out, why does it matter?" Lelouch replied.

"I don't know, I'm just wondering. You two haven't been this close lately. Are you two dating?"

"Rivalz, shut the hell up!" Lelouch yelled.

"Heh, whatever… You two act like kids. Just tell each other how you really feel…" Rivalz turned away and continued working on his homework.

Lelouch and Shirley both looked at each other and blushed, quickly looking away. The two sat down at took out their homework.

Suzaku walked into the student council room with Anya and Gino.

"Hey, fellow council, we're back!" Gino exclaimed.

The rest of the student council looked up, and then went back to what they were doing.

"Well, not the response I was looking for, but I'll take it!" Gino joked as he took a seat next to Lelouch, putting his feet up on the table. "What's up, Pres?"

"Hm… Hey Gino," Lelouch responded.

"Lelouch, can I speak with you?" Suzaku approached Lelouch.

He nodded, got up, and walked out of the council room with Suzaku.

"What is it, Suzaku?" he asked.

"I was interrogated today… Emperor Odysseus is now thinking I'm the one who assassinated your father, because I won't tell what I was doing that day. Emperor Charles swore me to secrecy, so I don't have an alibi that day… I think I might be denounced from my position in the Knights of the Round…"

"Suzaku… I'm sorry… Do you need me to do something about it?"

"No, I just wanted you to know, because if I'm taken out of the Knights of the Round, I won't be able to help the Black Knights."

"Don't worry. I don't think anything will happen. Even if it _does _happen, you'll still be useful," Lelouch explained. "Don't do anything that might show you're not loyal to Britannia. I have no doubt that they will be watching you..."

"Your Highness, Kururugi still hasn't said what he was doing for the Emperor on that day. What do you want us to do about him?"

"I want you to keep an eye on him. Watch for anything suspicious. I don't know why, but something isn't right about my father's death… and I'm going to get to the bottom of it!" Emperor Odysseus smashed his fist to the armrest of his chair. "I swear, I will find out who killed him, and prove my brother's innocence!"

Well, here you go… Sorry I haven't been updating lately… Driver's Ed. Is FINALLY over, thank GAWD! The bad news is that I'm going to be at my mum's house, starting the 26th of July, for the rest of the summer; until sometime in September. I don't think I'll be able to update anytime soon, so I'm sorry about that… -_- I said I'd work on my fics more this summer, but it turns out summer was busier than expected… So, I guess this is my last upload of "Second Chances" until September… Again, I'm sorry x(((


	6. Chapter Six: Breakout Reunion

~Chapter Six~ Part 1: Operation Breakout!

"FOR JAPAN!" echoed throughout night. A rain of gunfire poured down on the courtyard of the prison. The shots from the machine guns and rockets drowned out the screams of the guards.

"Die Britannian-shits!" Tamaki yelled as he fired the weapons of his Knightmare-Frame at the prison-guards. "Yea, this is what you get for imprisoning Black Knights! HAHAHA-… Crap…" Tamaki's high spirits suddenly fell, as a Britannian Knightmare appeared. Within seconds, if fired and destroyed Tamaki's mech, ejecting the pilot-seat into the sky. "Why does this always happen to me!" he yelled as he smashed his fists on the now disconnected-control panel.

"Britannian Knightmares! Knights, be on your guard!" Ohgi commanded into his radio.

Back at the Britannian command center, Suzaku began to climb into the Lancelot. _What am I supposed to do? I can't actually shoot the Black Knights… If I just destroy their Knightmare and not aim for the cockpit, maybe Lelouch won't be mad._

"Kururugi…." A voice came from behind him. "Under instructions from the Emperor, you're to not pilot your Knightmare until further notice. You are to remain on standby until the Emperor says otherwise," a guard explained.

_I guess that's good news…_ Suzaku thought to himself. _Now I don't need to worry about accidently killing a fellow Black Knight…_ Suzaku nodded at the guard, who had now stood between Suzaku and the Lancelot.

Suzaku began walking away until he was stopped by Lloyd. "Why, Suzaku, aren't you the least bit sad you won't be piloting your _baby_?"

"First of all, Lloyd, the Lancelot is _your _'baby,' not mine. Secondly, I'm fine either way. Stopping the Black Knights if priority number one for me, as you know. However, the Emperor's word beats out my priorities."

"Well, it's the Emperor's precious guards he's losing! If he would allow you to launch, he could have those cursed Black Knights taken care of within minutes!" Lloyd replied.

Suzaku hesitated. "Yea… those cursed Black Knights…"

The outside of the prison was now in ruins. Walls had crumbled from gunfire, destroyed Knightmares and dead guards littered the ground, and there was a gaping hole now in the wall to the inside of the building. The Black Knights sped through the inside with their Knightmares, killing any Britannian guard who got in their way.

Ohgi began speaking over the radio again. "When somebody has eyes on the target, signal, and all Knights on the inside of the prison will rendezvous at the target!" Ohgi continued searching the building with the rest of his crew.

Outside the prison, numerous Black Knight Knightmares guarded, shooting down any Britannian craft, Knightmare or guard that tried to fight back. Suddenly, the counter-attack sent out by the Britannians stopped.

"Ohgi, the Britannians have stopped their attack!" a Knight yelled over the radio.

Ohgi replied, "Stay sharp out there. If I know the Britannians, they've got something up their sleeve…"

"Yes, Ohgi. Over and out," the Knight finished and the line was dead.

_What are you planning, Britannia? _Ohgi thought to himself.

"SHIT! SIR, THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND JUST CAME OUT OF NO WHE-..." the line was suddenly cut.

"Damn it! The Knights of the Round… EVERY BLACK KNIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE PRISON, ATTACK THE KIGHTS OF THE ROUND!" Ohgi demanded.

A squad of Black Knights fired at the incoming two Knightmares, but was easily shot down. There was a shot fired at the Knights of the Round, but they swiftly dodged it.

"Where did that shot come from!" a Black Knight asked over his radio. Another Knightmare had joined the battle. "Who the hell is that?" the Black Knight asked another question.

"I don't know, but he came from the Britannian forces!" replied another Knight.

A voice cut in through the Black Knight's radio frequency. "Don't worry, fellow freedom fighters! I'm with you! As our master Zero, I too am a Britannian who fights the tyranny of my own people!"

"Well, who the hell are you, then?"

"How improper of me! If you'll excuse my rudeness, I'm of the Royal Knights of Britannia: Jeremiah Gottwald!"

"Wait, the orange guy?"

Jeremiah's proud face grew dull. "Yes… I'm as who Zero refers to as Orange Boy…"

"Oh, that's right. Orange Boy, not 'the orange guy.'"

"Whatever! Orange Boy or Orange Guy! It doesn't matter! We're in battle, and we have to stop the Knights of the Round before they kill us all!" Jeremiah responded with an annoyance in his voice.

Jeremiah and the rest of the Black Knights attacked the Knights of the Round, who were now attacking another squad.

The squad with Jeremiah was easily destroyed, but he didn't get hit once.

"Hey! What the hell is a Britannian doing fighting the Knights of the Round!" Gino, who was in the white Knights of the Round Knightmare, asked over the Britannian radio line.

Jeremiah explained, "Dear Gino… How bliss ignorance is…"

Gino interrupted, "Don't you mean 'ignorance is bliss?'"

"Shut up! I'm making a point! I was going to say some profound statement about how I've seen the light, and how that light is the truth behind Britannia and its evil ways! But no, you had to go and interrupt me! If you don't want to find out the truth, then DIE!" Jeremiah finished his point and fired his Knightmare's machine gun at Gino.

Back inside the prison, a Black Knight radioed Ohgi. "Sir, the Britannian known as Jeremiah Gottwald has joined our fight against Britannia."

"Yes, Zero informed me he was now with us. Is that all?" Ohgi answered.

"Yes. No luck with finding the target yet, however. I'll keep searching. Out." The radio line was dead again.

_Damn, how hard is it to find one prisoner! Well, being that the prisoner is _her_, I can see why Britannia would make this so difficult,_ Ohgi thought to himself.

Outside the prison, Jeremiah and Gino fought with the upmost skill. Jeremiah, being a Royal Britannian Knight for most of his life now, and Gino, a very skilled and young Knight of the Round, were seemingly equally matched.

"Just give up, old man!" Gino yelled.

"Like hell I will! I don't think you know this, but I've been mechanically rebuilt after my first 'death,' so _you're _the one who should be giving up!" Jeremiah shot back.

"So what are you, an android or something?" Gino asked as he dodged a hail of gunfire from Jeremiah.

"No, you idiot, an android is a robot made to appear human. I guess you could call me a cyborg, though, and I've been recreated to be able to destroy weak little morons like you!" In one swift motion, Jeremiah countered Gino's dodging of gunfire and thrust his Knightmare's arm at his enemy, latching onto the other Knightmare's arm.

"Shit, how didn't I see an attack that is so simple!" Gino cried.

Jeremiah continued by pulling the enemy mech's limb until sparks flew. Gino responded to the attack by using his Knightmare to pull a sword from behind with its other arm, attempting a last attempt to win the fight.

Jeremiah, with the other hand of his Knightmare, fired his machinegun and blew the his enemy's arm away, and finished by pulling the other arm clean off the mech.

"Heh, maybe I was wrong about you, Jeremiah. You're one of the few to ever best me in a fight," Gino complimented Jeremiah, and ejected from his Knightmare-frame.

"Odie, of whatever the hell your name is…" Jeremiah said over the Black Knight's radio-line.

"It's Ohgi…" he replied.

"Whatever. I destroyed the white Knightmare, but the pilot ejected."

"Good, good. The other one, there should be a red Knightmare as well, where is it?" Ohgi asked.

"I don't kn-TCH! Never mind, Odie, it looks like Anya, the red Knightmare's pilot, has found me… I'll take care of her! You finish the mission!"

"Like I said: it's Ohgi…"

"Whatever! Over and out!" Jeremiah finished, and the line became dead once more.

Ohgi and his squad where continuing the search for the target, when another voice came over the radio. "SIR! I'VE EYES ON THE TARGET! SENDING LOCATION NOW!"

"Great job, Knight! I will be at your location in thirty seconds! Out!" Ohgi let the line go dead and smiled. _Finally… Zero, mission accomplished!_

Ohgi and his squad stopped at where the signal came from. There was an open door and some Black Knights guarding it. Ohgi exited his Knightmare.

"Ohgi… We have a problem…" a Knight said as he approached.

"What now?" Ohgi asked.

"Well… Go ahead and see for yourself…" The Knight waved his hand towards the door, signaling Ohgi to enter the prison-cell.

"I told your friends what I'm going to tell you! You will only get what you want if you go through me!" said a soft and friendly, yet sad and troubled voice. A girl sat before Ohgi

"Aren't you…?" Ohgi couldn't finish.

The girl before him cut in with, "I am Nunnally vi Britannia, Viceroy of Area 11, and the only way you will free this terrorist is by killing me!"

Ohgi's target was right there. It was so close; he could almost reach out and touch "her." His target: the windowed prison-cell behind Viceroy Nunnally… Inside the windowed-cell: Kallen Kouzuki.

Part Two: Suzaku's Reunion…

Lelouch's hand was warm as it was gripped lightly by Shirley's. He looked away from the large movie-screen and looked at her, smiling. _Finally, I've at least corrected one thing…_

Shirley looked at him, too. They were finally able to make time for a _long_ awaited date. The date was nothing out of the ordinary for high schoolers; just dinner out and a movie, but the two didn't care. They were both glad to finally be out together, away from the Black Knights and away from the school.

Lelouch noticed Shirley slowly lean a little towards him, stop, and then inch a little closer. _Is… she going to kiss me?_ Lelouch's heart raced, even though it wasn't his first kiss. He, too, began inching towards Shirley. Their lips were but centimeters apart when a noise shattered the sweet-moment. It was Lelouch's cell-phone. Shirley frowned.

"I'm so sorry, Shirley… The only reason it's on is because of… you know…" Lelouch, in a whisper, tried to explain.

"Fine," Shirley whispered back. "It must be an emergency then… I understand…"

"Hey, Moron… Turn your cell off when you enter a movie…" a voice came from behind the two. Lelouch silenced it and hurried out of the room.

Lelouch found a secluded spot outside of the theater, and called the number that just rang through back. Ohgi picked up.

"M-…Master Zero…" Ohgi hesitated.

"I'm busy. Is 'it' done?" Lelouch replied in a stern voice.

Again, Ohgi hesitated. "…Well… not exactly. The target, Black Knight: Kallen Kouzuki, is in sight, but there's a, well, problem."

"What is it, then!" demanded Lelouch.

"You see… the viceroy of Area11 won't let us pass… unless…"

_Nunnally! _Lelouch thought to himself. "Unless what, Ohgi!"

"She says the only way past her… is to kill her…"

"WHAT! Ohgi, if any Black Knight lays a finger on her, I will personally kill them!" Lelouch's body began to heat up with rage.

"S-…Sir?"

"I said: nobody is to touch her! You understand!"

"Yes, Master Zero…" Ohgi agreed. Lelouch could now hear somebody talking to Ohgi, but couldn't make out what they were saying. "What? R-really?" Lelouch heard Ohgi say to the person. "Zero, the viceroy… wants to talk to you…"

Lelouch's hands shook. "F-…Fine. Put her on."

"Sorry, Zero… She means face-to-face…"

Lelouch swore under his breath. _What about Shirley?_

"Zero?"

"Y-…yes, Ohgi, I'll meet with her in person. I'll be there as fast as I can. However, I'm currently in no position to get there in any time under an hour."

"Of course, Master Zero."

Lelouch cut the call. He looked back at the theater, then at his phone. _Damn it, how inconvenient… I'm sorry, Shirley… The Black Knights can't wait… I hope you understand…_

"You're launching, Lelouch?" C.C. questioned.

"Unfortunately, yes. I don't want to, but there is no other choice. Nunnally is getting in the way again…" Lelouch replied.

"Again? When has she ever gotten in the way?" C.C. said back.

"Never mind…" He was referring to events that were yet to happen; events he hoped he could prevent.

C.C. looked into Lelouch's eyes. "I'll come with you."

"What for?"

"You can't launch alone. If you get shot down and die, our contract will be broken…"

"Fine, but don't get in my way…" Lelouch commanded as he put Zero's mask over his face.

"Well, _excuse_ me, 'Zero'…" C.C. sarcastically said.

Ohgi's radio crackled and a voice came over it. "I've locked onto the Black Knight's signal. I'm inside the prison now."

"Yes, Zero. Everything is fine here. The viceroy is stills safe," Ohgi explained.

"Good. Keep it that way." Zero said, cutting the line.

Within minutes, Ohgi saw Zero's Knightmare-frame approaching. It stopped, and Zero exited the cockpit. Ohgi walked up to him, but Zero ignored his presence, heading directly for Nunnally.

"Nunnally vi Britannia, you presence here is definitely unfortunate. You know very well what we Black Knights are capable of, and you're lucky you're not dead," Zero painfully said. It hurt him to talk to his sister like that.

Nunnally smiled. "Zero… I didn't expect you to actually show up. Thank you for coming. I have something to discuss with you."

"Are you going to negotiate a release of the prisoner?"

"No, but rather a negotiation for Area11."

Zero heard the Black Knights behind him gasp.

"What is it exactly you want to negotiate? It better be good, because I didn't come down here for anything but to retrieve my Knight."

"Before you killed my sister Euphemia, you were meeting her to discuss the Special Administrative Zones of Japan. I want to give you a second chance and join me in recreating these zones," Nunnally explained.

_Damn it, Nunnally! I just want Kallen back! I don't need 'this' right now! _Lelouch thought. "Viceroy Nunnally… If you move away from the prisoner, I promise that I'll _think_ about helping you, also with the promise that neither I nor any of my Black Knights will bring you harm…" Zero promised.

Nunnally sat silently for a minute, until finally speaking up. "No; I will not give you your prisoner until I have assurance that you'll help me. This isn't a negotiation for the prisoner, but the only way I'll move from this spot is if you agree to help me or if you kill me. If you're not going to try to bring Area11 back to what it used to be in a civil-manner, you will have to turn around and leave."

"My, what bold words coming from a child…" Zero said.

"I'm only doing what I think 'he' would do in a situation like this…"

"'He?' Who is 'he?'"? asked Zero.

A tear fell down Nunnally's cheek. "I'm acting the way my older brother would act in this situation…" Zero almost choked at the statement. Nunnally continued, "I'm sure he'd know better than to allow a terrorist to get his way so easily! The answer is no, Zero! I won't let you take Kallen Stadtfeld!"

Zero, still, was trying his hardest to not choke at what Nunnally was saying. Hearing her speak of Lelouch, while unknown to her, he stood before her: doing exactly what she believes he _wouldn't _do… _How can I do this to my own sister…?_ Zero asked himself. "Viceroy… if I get somebody you know down here to prove I mean only the best… will you allow me to take the prisoner with my original promises of _thinking_ about helping you? I can't make a rash decision in a place and time like this… Will you allow me to do this?"

Nunnally spoke up, "What do you mean? Who do I know that would actually trust you?"

Beneath his mask, Zero smiled. "I believe you're close to a boy named… Kururugi?"

"W-what! You mean Suzaku… is one of your minions! I refuse to believe this!" Nunnally exclaimed.

"C.C.," Lelouch said aloud.

A green-haired girl exited the Knightmare that followed Zero's into the prison. "What is it?" she asked.

"I need you to retrieve Kururugi. Pick him up and bring him here. I'll inform him of your coming."

"Alright, I guess. I'll go get him," C.C. said, getting back into the cockpit of her Knightmare.

Suzaku sat at a table, drinking a cup of hot-tea, as Lloyd babbled on as usual. Suzaku's cell-phone suddenly rang. The caller I.D. read, "Lelouch."

_What could Lelouch need at a time like this? Isn't he on a date or something? _Suzaku thought to himself. He answered the call, "Lelouch? Is something the matter? Aren't you with Shirley?"

"Hey, Buddy! No, the date was over some time ago, don't worry. I'm at the school now. If you're not busy, come on by. Let's hang out like old times!" Lelouch was obviously putting on a show just in case Suzaku's phone was bugged, even thought Lelouch's phone was equipped with a scrambler to block any records of calls made or received by Lelouch if he wished.

"Well, yea, I'm not busy right now… I… I guess I'll come on by… Talk to you then, Lelouch."

"Yea, see you soon." The line went dead; Lelouch obviously hung up.

"Well, Lloyd, looks like I'm off," Suzaku said.

Lloyd frowned. "But, I haven't finished explaining my new idea for the Lancelot!"

Suzaku smiled back. "Don't worry; you can tell me all about it next time, okay?"

"Hm, whatever. By then I'll probably have a whole new idea to tell you about, though… I'll be seeing you, then!"

Suzaku just smiled and left the room. _What could Lelouch need? Is it something with the Black Knights, maybe? I might be under watch by the Emperor, though…_

Suzaku entered the student council building where Lelouch stayed. "Lelouch, I'm here!" Suzaku hollered out. "Lelouch, are you here?" Suzaku wandered into the meeting room. His skin turned pale and he froze in place. In front of him was a girl he once had a fateful encounter with on the battlefield. Just his coming in contact with her affected his mind. He saw things he never wished to see; things he wished to _un-see_. Things he saw about himself and things he saw about others. Simply said: his encounter with her was something he could never forget.

"Oh, right… Suzaku, isn't it?" the girls asked. "Don't look so scared… What's wrong? Did I do something to bother you?"

"You… what are you…? Who are you…?" Suzaku managed to question her.

"Hm, I see you remember me… Since you asked, I'll answer your questions. My name is C.C. and I have a contract with your friend Lelouch. I'm sure you know of his power I've given to him…" she explained.

Suzaku thought back to when Zero, no, Lelouch had used his Geass on him. Suzaku was willing to die if it meant Zero would die with him, but Lelouch had used his power, forcing Suzaku to "live." Suzaku was as Lelouch: cursed. No matter what happened, Suzaku couldn't die due to the command from Lelouch.

C.C. interrupted his thoughts. "Oh, and as to 'what am I…' The truth is: I'm a witch."

Author's Note: I know I say this after every chapter in _every _story I write, it seems, but I'm soooooo sorry this chapter took MONTHS to come out. Seriously: there has been so much crap going on… Of course, college has been keeping me EXTREMELY busy… Not to mention the fact that I was without my laptop from about October to January… _Then _my laptop went and fried on me (well, not ON me… but it crapped up). My harddrive completely burnt out, causing me to lose everything I had on my lappy… All my games, movies, shows, stories, school-works… It sucked. Oh, and my computer's memory in general completely went to hell. I had to practically buy completely new insides for this thing… Well worth not spending money on a new laptop, though…

The good news: I've finally gotten it fixed and I'm currently in spring break… Ergo, I'm able to update my fics ^-^ I just hope the wait was worth the while o3o Anywho, tell me what you think of the story as of now… It was actually pretty fun writing mech battles again… I haven't wrote about mech battles since my Neon Genesis story. Also, Jeremiah is fun to write about, since he's legit… and a cyborg ^-^ Okay, 'nuff rambling from me. When I have time in the future, I'll update this story again ;P For all my faithful readers out there: THANKS FOR STAYING FAITHFUL THROUGH ALL THIS DOWN TIME! YOU KICK ASS! ;D .-. Mikka Tororo was delicious. Therefore, farewell, everyone (If you don't get this, just Google it -_-; Although, IDK if Google will have anything about it… But I'm too lazy to type about it, and I've already written enough jabber from me).

'Nother note: I made this chapter into two parts because I was originally just going to have an entire chapter about the Black Knights breaking Kallen out, but I needed to come to a point where Suzaku and C.C. were to meet up eventually… So I was then going to make this chapter all about Suzaku and C.C. meeting again… But that would have been too boring (IMO :T), so I put the two things together, and spoiler (not really): I'm saving Kallen's escape for next chapter… Hurr hurr. Again, toodaloo, and until next time ;D


	7. Chapter Seven: Fate

Author's Note: Happy birthday to my fanfic! Last month, my story turned a year old… Not even kidding. June 8th, 2010 is when I began writing this. I'm really slow at updates -_-;

Now, I have to tell you I'm sorry I haven't updated this since April. I honestly don't think this chapter compares to the last one (because the last one had mech-battles… I mean, who doesn't like mech-battles?), but I hope it does the trick! Enjoy, and keep leaving reviews ;D Your reviews are very inspiring to continue this story!

~Chapter Seven: Fate~

"I've secured the target and I'm on my way…" a low, female voice said over the cell phone Ohgi was holding to his ear. He approached Zero, who was leaning against his Knightmare as he waited.

"Zero," Ohgi began. "C.C. has Suzaku and is on her way now."

"Good, good… I'm tired of waiting," Zero replied. Ohgi then put his phone back to his ear and walked away.

Zero went back to his thoughts. He had been thinking about Nunnally. He remembered when he spoke to Nunnally over the phone before he killed Rolo. He wondered if Nunnally knew a reason behind her being taken from him. _What did they do to her? Does she know about our brother Rolo? Doesn't she find it even a little bit weird that she's not able to see me anymore?_

Zero walked towards Nunnally. "Viceroy," he said in an intimidating voice. "You spoke of your brother earlier…"

"What about him?" Nunnally asked.

"When you say 'your brother,' which of the Britannian princes are you referring to, exactly?" Even though he knew exactly who she had spoken of, he wanted to find out if she knew anything about their separation.

"Why should I tell a terrorist something like that? You would probably end up murdering him as you did to my other siblings…"

"I only kill those who stand in my way, Viceroy."

"Then why haven't you killed me yet? Is it because you're not as evil as you're made out to be? Is that it?"

"You pose no threat to me…" It was still hard for Lelouch to speak to his sister so sternly. "Viceroy Nunnally, do you actually know why I killed your brother Clovis so long ago?"

Nunnally paused for a moment, then said, "I would guess it was because he was a threat to the Black Knights…"

"You're right but at the same time wrong. It's true he posed as a threat, but to be honest with you, it was actually because…" Zero stopped and thought to himself. _Should I really be telling her this? Should Nunnally really know the truth about Clovis?_

"It was because…?" Nunnally spoke.

"That day in Shinjuku I was there as a normal man. I witnessed the military slaughter innocent Japanese. When the military attempted to kill _me_, a fellow Britannian, knowing I meant no harm against them at the time, I took on the persona called Zero… I escaped my own death and took command over the Black Knights, who had come in response to the military's attack. If it wasn't for me, every last one of the Japanese would have been eradicated." Zero stopped again. _Damn it! Just stop telling her this! If I continue telling her the truth, I might end up harming her!_

"Zero," Nunnally finally spoke up after patiently listening to the story. "If you speak the truth… about Clovis, about Shinjuku, and even about Suzaku… I'll allow you to leave with this prisoner… But know that as long as you continue to kill my people, you and I will remain enemies. So, until we can come to a peaceful solution: I will have you killed on sight next time we meet…"

Under his mask, Lelouch's eyes widened. _I've only heard Nunnally speak like this once. Back when she attempted to fire the Freya cannon, she acted just like this. She… really hates me… I'm sorry, Nunnally. I'll make this all up to you one day, I promise._

"I accept this agreement. You will never meet with me face to face again, Viceroy…" Zero finished the conversation.

Moments later, a Knightmare entered. C.C. climbed out of the cockpit and behind her followed Suzaku.

"Nunnally…" The Viceroy heard a familiar voice and she began to cry.

"Suzaku! It can't be true! Please… tell me you haven't joined the Black Knights!" she continued to cry.

"You're wrong; I have joined Zero… I swore to him that I'd help destroy Britannia…" Suzaku remembered the day long ago, when Lelouch swore the same thing as a child.

"My brother said the same thing, didn't he? I remember hearing him say that… Suzaku, how is he doing these days?"

"Right… He's doing just fine," Suzaku smiled, even though Nunnally couldn't tell from her blindness.

"Does he speak of me at all? Why haven't we been able to talk since that day over the phone? Is he in some sort of trouble? They still haven't told me the whole story…"

"Don't worry! You're brother misses you, too. I'll make sure to tell him I was able to see you again. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear about you."

"Suzaku… If you really have joined to be an enemy of Britannia, will you promise that you'll leave Lelouch out of it? I know he hates our family for everything that's happened, but if he gets killed, I wouldn't know what to do anymore…"

Suzaku couldn't find anything to reply with. It hurt him to lie to Nunnally, just as it did for Lelouch to lie to her.

"Suzaku, are you still there? Will you promise to leave my brother out of this?"

Suzaku almost began to cry. "I promise, Nunnally… I'll end this fight between Japan and Britannia, and you'll be able to be with your brother again."

Upon hearing this, Zero began to silently cry. He walked away as casually as he could, but he couldn't hold back the tears. The last two people Nunnally could trust were liars. Two people who had never meant to hurt her in way, who were also that last two people she could rely upon, were nothing more than liars. _No regrets…_ Lelouch told himself. _I can't stop now… I'll tell Nunnally the truth one day. Even if she hates me for it; even if she never wants to speak to me again, I'll tell her the truth. I just want revenge for what my own family did to us…_

"Zero," somebody said behind him. "I've finished speaking to her now. You can finish the mission now…"

"Suzaku…" Zero's voice trailed off.

He simply smiled at Zero and returned to the Knightmare he came in. C.C. entered, too, and they both left. Zero then approached Nunnally. "May I leave with my prisoner now?"

Nunnally suddenly began to cry. "I can't believe he's joined you… Zero, please hurry up and let me be with Lelouch again…" With saying that, Nunnally moved out of the Black Knight's way, allowing them to free Kallen. As she passed Zero, she held out a cardkey.

Zero grabbed it and, holding back his own tears still, handed it off to Ohgi. Zero nodded at him, and Ohgi hurried to Kallen's cell, swiping the card across the scanner. With a load "CLUTHUNK," the large glass door slid open. Kallen jumped out at Ohgi and hugged him.

"Ohgi, you're finally here!" she cried.

"Heh, w-…well, we can't just leave a fellow Black Knight to rot in a cage, right?" Ohgi led Kallen to where Zero stood.

"Kallen, it's good to have you back…" Zero said.

Kallen cringed. "Thank you… Master Zero…"

"Lelouch, you're the biggest jerk a girl could ever know!" Shirley yelled, slapping Lelouch's shoulder as he entered the room.

"Yeeea, you're a pretty big jerk to leave a girl helpless in the movie theater. What kinda guy does that?" Rivalz shrugged his shoulders as he backed up Shirley.

"Ugh… What the hell, Rivalz! Stay out of this!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Lelouch, even though I've been your friend since we were kids, I have to say: that's a terrible thing you did to Shirley…" Suzaku was turned around in his seat.

"Thank you, Suzaku!" Shirley said. "See, you jerk? You're… a big jerk!"

Now, the entire class had their attention turned towards the quarrel. One spoke, saying, "Pres, who would have known you were such a heart-breaker…?"

"Wha-! No! It's… It's not like that!" Lelouch frantically tried to back himself up, but nobody cared. They were all bent on the fact he ditched Shirley the night before.

"Aww, but…" Shirley grabbed Lelouch's arm. "I'll forgive you if you make it up to me somehow…"

Lelouch's face turned deep red as he turned his head away from Shirley. In unison, a number of his classmates went, "Ooo~oooh!"at the comment.

Then, Shirley turned red. "H-…Hey! It's nothing like that, you pervs! Besides, this is between Lelouch and me, so butt out!"

Right then, the teacher entered and asked, "What's all of the 'oooh-ing' about?"

Once student answered, "Shirley and Lelouch are having a lover's-quarrel back there…"

The teacher laughed. "Well, save it for after class. I'm sorry I'm a little late, but we must begin the lesson now."

Lelouch was finally able to get to his seat. He stared out of the window as usually, thinking to himself, _How can everybody be so oblivious to what really happened last night? There was a battle between the Black Knights and the Britannian military, but nobody even cares… It's like they've grown accustomed to things like this…_ Lelouch stretched his arms over his head and yawned. _Well, maybe it's for the better that high schoolers aren't worried about that kind of thing… I can't even think right now, though. I was up so late last night with the Black Knights... Perhaps I'll just…_

Lelouch closed his eyes and rested his head on his arm, quickly falling back to sleep.

Lelouch stared at Zero's mask as he sat on a couch in his office when a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked in an intimidating voice.

"It's Kallen…" a voice said from outside the room.

"Please, come in…" Lelouch said. As Kallen entered the office, he didn't bother putting his mask over his head, since she knew well who he really was. "Long time no see, Kallen."

"Save it, Lelouch. Why the hell did you have the Black Knights perform such a careless rescue mission for only one person! What were you thinking! Do you know how many Knights you lost in that invasion?"

"Now, now, is that any way to speak to your leader?" Lelouch asked.

Kallen glared at him from the sarcastic question. "Unless you speak to me without that mask hiding your face, I will speak to you however the hell I want! For all I care: you're not Zero unless you're hiding your identity."

"Well, I can't argue with that logic, I suppose. Would you prefer to speak to Lelouch or Zero?" Lelouch said with a sarcastic smile.

"Answer me, Lelouch! Why did you risk so many men for me?"

"It's simple, Kallen. You're our best fighter we have. I would even have to say you're even better than Suzaku Kururugi. Don't tell him I said that, though."

"What? You mean… the pilot of the Lancelot? What does _he _have to do with all of this?"

Lelouch laughed. "My… A lot has happened in your absence…"

"What the hell are you talking about, Lelouch! Out with it already!"

"Perhaps you'd like to see for yourself? Well, unfortunately you'll have to wait. I'll tell you that it's going to be a big surprise, though."

"Quit screwing with me, you bastard… I want to know what you've done to the Black Knights while I was imprisoned!"

Lelouch smiled evilly. "Let's just say I've acquired some useful allies to accompany the Black Knights… You'll understand in our next attack, dear Kallen."

"Allies…? …Next attack?" Kallen gave Lelouch a confused look. "Wait, you're planning another attack already! What are you thinking!"

"Quit worrying so much… I'm Master Zero, remember?"

"Don't get cocky, Lelouch… I don't know what you're planning, but remember that your power doesn't make you invincible."

Kallen began to leave when Lelouch interrupted, saying, "Would you like to hear the plan?"

"Emperor, I have news about the boy Kururugi," a guard said as knelt before Emperor Odysseus.

"Is he my father's murderer?" the emperor asked.

"No, My Lord. We still haven't found out who actually killed him, but we heard Schneizel mumbling somebody's name… Does the name 'Lelouch' ring a bell?" asked the guard.

Odysseus raised his eyebrows. "I haven't heard _that _name for some time now. Why does my dead brother have to do with this?"

"I'm not sure, My Lord, but when we heard Schneizel say the name, we did some digging in your father's documents. He had a hidden, off-the-record meeting with somebody named Lelouch." The guard handed Odysseus a piece of paper.

The emperor studied it. All it said was "Lelouch lives."

"Guard," Odysseus began, "when did my father write this and where did you find it?"

"Well, My Majesty, it seems it was sent to him from an unknown source. It was in a decrypted folder that was hidden on his computer. This note is all we found in it. We also noticed that it was sent several months ago."

"Okay, guard, this is beginning to bore me. What does this have to do with Kururugi and my supposedly living brother?" the emperor asked in an annoyed voice.

"This note was created only days before the disappearance of Zero, back when he was supposedly executed. We also know that not long after this note was sent to your father, Kururui personally detained and brought Zero before him. That is the last we heard about Zero before his 'execution.'"

"You're not saying Kururugi is Zero, are you?"

"Emperor, that's not quite it. There's still one more thing: we found out there was a secret group created to _spy _on your younger brother, who is said to be deceased as we know. Lelouch vi Britannia lives, and he's attending Ashford Academy, along with the Knight of the Round: Kururugi. We've pieced together that Lelouch is, in fact, Zero."

Odysseus eyes grew wide. A moment passed, and the emperor burst out in laughter. "Right, right… My dead brother is Zero. If Lelouch truly lives, bring him before me. I'll find out for certain if he's who you say he is, or not. You're dismissed…" Odysseus raised his hand at the guard, and the guard quickly exited the throne room.

"Lulu, how do you do that? I don't understand this at all!" Shirley whined as she worked on her math homework with Lelouch.

"It's easy, really! Here, all you do is…" Lelouch began to explain, but he froze at who he saw enter the student council room, where he and Shirley were sitting.

"Lelouch 'Lamperouge' is what I believe you go by these days," a strong, stern female voice said. He instantly knew who this lady was. There were a group of royal guards behind her.

"Cornelia li Britannia? What does the second princess of Britannia need with a commoner like me?" Lelouch asked.

"Cut the crap. You're about to be in deep, deep trouble, my naïve, little brother…"

Lelouch grit his teeth. "What is it you want with me, Cornelia?"

"I'm under direct order from our brother, the emperor, to bring you before him under suspicion that you are the terrorist leader: Zero."

"I, a simple schoolboy, am being marked as a terrorist?" Lelouch smirked as he reached his hand towards his eyes. He was about to take the contact out to reveal his Geass, be he stopped. He noticed something wasn't right. Cornelia seemed different. That's when he noticed her eye. "Cornelia, might I ask… what's that over your eye?" Even though he asked this, he's seen the exact device before. It's the same device Jeremiah Gottwald had: a Geass Canceller.

Cornelia waved her hand towards the guards, who surrounded Lelouch and brought him to her. "What are you doing to Lulu!" Shirley screamed. "Let him go!"

"He'll be fine." Cornelia smiled. "That is, as long as he isn't part of the Black Knights… Oh, and Lelouch, to answer your question, this is a little piece of Britannian engineering. I had a run in at a little facility. Perhaps you've heard of it? Does the Geass Order ring a bell? While I was there for a completely different reason, those dreadful Black Knights attacked me. Tragic, isn't it? If it wasn't for our uncle, I would have died for sure…"

_Our uncle…? V.V.! Damn it! She got mixed up in the attack on the Geass Order! I completely forgot about her being there… DAMN IT! Because of me, there's a second Geass Canceller. Just when things start looking up, something bad takes its place…_ Lelouch thought to himself. The words of the old man with the Geass to turn back time entered his mind. _He told me that even if I change the past, a bad event is bound to take the place of the event I changed… Can this be true? Perhaps… No, I can't stop fighting against fate. Fate is on my side! I'm going to change things for the better!_

Lelouch, still being held by the guards, looked at his half-sister and said, "Fine then… If I'm suspected to be a terrorist, bring me before the emperor. I will prove my innocence. When I do, I don't ever want to see you again, dear sister… I don't want to see you or any of our siblings for that matter!"

"Not even sweet little Nunnally?" Cornelia asked.

Lelouch bit his lip when he heard her name.

"Did I hit a soft spot? She's an exception, then? Well, it's too bad you won't see her again before you're found a terrorist. You won't _ever _ see her again for that matter. Now, Lelouch, I believe we're late for a meeting with the emperor…"

-End of Chapter-

Author's note: Man, I read over the previous chapters of this story and I must say: I can't believe how _bad _they are… I mean, they're crappily written. It's so embarrassing o/o

Anywho, there you have it! Chapter seven is complete! Ffff, it's pissing me off, though, because I want to get to the good part! I have some legit stuff (if I don't say so myself) planned for future chapters! For all of you who still read this thing (after a year of me writing it .;), thanks, and I hope you enjoy this and all chapters to come! o3o


	8. Chapter Eight: Zero's Identity

~Chapter Eight: Zero's Identity~

"It's so great to see you again, little brother."

"Odysseus… You actually believe somebody like _me _could be Zero?"

"Well, I can't say. It's quite mysterious how my said-to-be-deceased brother is now living, though. It's also mysterious how our father had his eye on you since the 'death' of Zero."

"How are you going to decide if I'm Zero or not? What is the proof that I'm even connected to all of this?"

"Well, we have somebody here who can testify against you…" a smile grew on Odysseus' face from saying this. "Uncle, please come forth."

Lelouch's heart began to race. A door behind the emperor swung open and a small boy with long, blonde hair walked out and a familiar symbol across his forehead. In fact, it was the same symbol C.C. had across hers.

"Lelouch, it saddens me to know the truth about you," the small boy said.

"Damn you, V.V.! What did you tell Odysseus? You were supposed to remain loyal to my father, so what the hell did you tell him!" Lelouch, who was on his knees in front of the emperor with his hands chained behind his back, yelled.

"Don't be so hot-headed. I haven't told him anything _yet._ I thought it'd be more fun to tell him while you were in the room."

"Don't… Please, don't!" Lelouch was panicking at the thought of all his secrets being told.

"Why don't we start with your power? Yea, that's a good place to start." V.V. turned away from Lelouch and towards the emperor. "You see, Odysseus, Lelouch carries a special power called Geass. Do you remember the panic in Shinjuku way back when?"

Odysseus nodded.

V.V. continued, "Lelouch, here, was caught up in the mess. The truck the Black Knights stole that was carrying 'poisonous gas' actually carried a girl who is much like me. We create contracts with others, giving them powers beyond belief. Lelouch came in contact with the girl from the terrorist's truck and obtained Geass.

"From there, he took up the name Zero and became the leader of the Black Knights, using his power to bend the mind of others in order to gain what he wants… He's using Geass and the persona called Zero in order to exact revenge on his father and Britannia, as well as to free Japan from our grasp."

Odysseus had a shocked look on his face. "Geass, hmm? Well, this all makes sense now… I mean, how could one little boy do so much damage to a country without the help of the supernatural? V.V., can he show me his power? It's all quite unbelievable."

"He's blocking his Geass at the moment. Lelouch," V.V. turned back to Lelouch now. "Why don't you try your power here and show the emperor how you've attained such the status as a terrorist leader?"

"What the hell are you talking about, V.V.? I don't know what this 'Geass' is, and I know damn well who I am… and I am NOT Zero!" Lelouch still refused to confess, even though he was powerless in his current state.

"Hmm? Oh, then why don't I just remove those contacts our friend C.C. gave you?" V.V. walked up to Lelouch and grabbed his head. Lelouch tried to close his eyes to prevent the contacts from being taken out, but V.V. held his eyes open and removed them. "Behold emperor…"

Odysseus rubbed his chin as he stared at Lelouch's glowing eyes. "Are you going to try it out on me? What is it this Geass allows you to do, exactly?"

Lelouch began to laugh. "Why don't I show you, my brother?" Lelouch jumped to his feet and knocked V.V. over with his shoulder.

A guard came running towards Lelouch, but Lelouch stared in to the guard's eyes and said, "Lelouch vi Britannia commands you: kill the emperor!"

The guard stopped. "Yes, My Lord!" He then aimed his rifle at the emperor.

Before the guard could fire, there was a red flash. He stopped and shook his head, then mumbled, "What the hell… just happened?"

The guard turned back to Lelouch and attempted to detain him. "I command you to kill the emperor, I said!" Lelouch yelled. There was another flash of red, and the guard stopped.

"I know it all along…" said Cornelia as she walked out of the door V.V. had come from. "Don't you remember? I found out your identity _long _ago…"

"Damn it… Just as I thought, you have a Geass Canceller." Lelouch grit his teeth as he thought of a way out of the situation.

"Lelouch, no… Zero, I told you I'd kill you by my own hand once I proved who you were. I'm sticking to my word!" Cornelia suddenly lunged at Lelouch as she unsheathed her sword. Lelouch quickly attempted to dodge the attack, but his chest was cut open. It wasn't a deep wound, but it tore his uniform and he began to bleed. "You don't have your Black Knights to save you now, Zero! Nobody knows you're here except those in the room right now! You're finished!"

Lelouch attempted to dodge her attacks, but he kept getting cut. "Why are you doing this! Don't you see that Britannia is the true enemy here! I know you've seen if with your own eyes!" Lelouch tried to reason.

"Quit preaching that Black Knights' bullshit! To me, you're just the bastard-child who's only out for revenge… You're but a filthy traitor!" Cornelia thrust her sword at Lelouch, but this time he was able to completely dodge it.

_I got lucky… but damn, she's way too fast! Help me… Somebody, help me!_ Lelouch thought to himself.

"Sister, don't you think it'd be more appropriate for somebody like Zero to have a public execution? I'm sure if the people saw him without his mask and then killed, the Black Knights would be _sure _to give up," Odysseus tried to reason.

"Don't you see, you fool! He doesn't deserve to be executed! He deserves to be murdered like how he murdered Clovis, Euphemia, our father… and even his own blood-brother, Rolo!"

"Perhaps it's true he murdered Clovis and Euphemia, but Father and Rolo's murders haven't been found yet," Odysseus added.

Cornelia became irritated. "Who the hell _else_ would kill them! Zero has both the reason and the power to murder them!"

Lelouch, who was leaning against the wall from exhaustion and pain, began laughing. "You want to know the truth? Do you! I admit it! I'm Zero! I killed my siblings and brutally murdered my father! Are you happy now?" Lelouch continued to laugh. "Even though I tell you this now, it'll be useless information to you in a little bit…"

"How do you mean useless?" Odysseus asked.

"You overlooked one thing: I'm what you refer to as a terrorist! I have minions in all nooks and crannies in this God-forsaken country! I'll bet you that somebody's going to burst through that door any minute now and kill you all…" Lelouch cringed from the pain he felt from the cuts. "How dare you underestimate my power…" He coughed again and slid to the floor, panting. "I really didn't want to spill anymore of my family's blood, but looks like I'm going to have to…"

Cornelia approached the pitiful Lelouch and poked at his chest with her sword. "Quit talking like you're so tough… Why is it that the one who's about to be defeated has to die while acting smug? I don't get it at all. But, act as smug as you want, because you're dead, Lelouch… This is for everything you've done to this world!"

Odysseus stopped Cornelia before she could plunge her sword into Lelouch's chest. "Sister, stop this now! Zero needs an honest trial! Killing him like this makes us no better than him!"

Before Cornelia could even think about Odysseus' words, the two large doors to the throne room were thrust open. Two men who had been guarding the door outside dropped to the ground. Blood soaked their uniforms, and sticking from their throats: kunai-knives.

Lelouch laughed under his breath. "You really should have killed me when you had the chance. It's too late, now."

"What the hell is this, Zero!" Cornelia yelled as she attempted to bring her sword down on Lelouch again. Suddenly, there was a whistling noise, and Cornelia screamed. "What-!" She felt her arm to find a kunai stuck in it. "Who's there! Who is it that dares to interrupt official, royal business! I'll have you…" she was cut off by two other kunai, which both stuck into her stomach, splattering blood across the floor. She fell to her knees and swore under her breath.

Odysseus began to sweat as a shadowy figure entered the room. Her appearance showed when she entered into the light. "Sayoko… You don't know _how _glad I am to see you…" Lelouch said, grimacing from his wounds.

"I would never let you die, Lelouch… You know that. I swore on my life to protect you and your sister." Sayoko said in a sweet tone.

"Guards, kill this intruder!" Odysseus yelled out. However, only two people entered, and they weren't guards.

"What've you gotten yourself into this time, Lelouch?" one of them said. It was Jeremiah Gottwald.

The other one spoke up, saying "I hope you know how big of a risk I've taken to save your ass…" It was Villetta, another Britannian who joined Zero under a forced condition that wasn't caused by Geass. "I can't believe you convinced Orange Boy to join the Black Knights, by the way."

"Damn you! Quite calling me that! It's not funny anymore! Agh-… it was never funny in the first place, either!" Jeremiah cried.

"Jeremiah and Villetta… You're traitors as well?" Cornelia asked as she struggled to stand up. "The bastard Lelouch obviously didn't use his Geass on you, because you have a Geass Canceller as well, I see…"

"You're right, my sweet Viceroy! I've sworn my loyalty to the Black Knights, because I've found out the truth behind Marianne vi Britannia's death. She was assassinated by the late emperor, and once Lelouch told me about the depressing truth, I had no reason to fight for your damn country!" Jeremiah explained.

"Are you going to kill us?" Odysseus asked.

Lelouch struggled back to his feet before anybody could answer. "No, we will not. I would like to, but it'd be pointless bloodshed if I had you killed. Sayoko, if you would please take Cornelia back to headquarters and have the device connected to her eye removed, I would be pleased."

"Yes, Lelouch…" Sayoko said. She approached Cornelia, who still couldn't stand despite her effort, and took her out of the building.

"Now, Jeremiah, please take my uncle, V.V., and hold him as I erase Odysseus' memory…" Lelouch was now speaking with his powerful voice as if he was Zero again. He walked up to his brother, who sat on the throne, and smiled. "My dear Odysseus… It's too bad you'll never remember the day you almost caught the leader of the Black Knights… Now," the light in Lelouch's eyes became even more intense, "you will destroy _any _and _all _evidence that Lelouch vi Britannia or Lelouch Lamperouge is linked to the Black Knights in _any _way, and you will forget this encounter and all knowledge of me completely!"

Lelouch's eyes flickered in the light as he commanded the emperor. Odysseus said, "Of course, My Lord!" He then stood up and left through the door in the back of the room.

Now turned towards V.V., who Jeremiah was holding still, Lelouch smiled devilishly as he spoke. "I've got something worse in store for you, my uncle… You will never see nor walk ever again, just as my father commanded my sister!" His eyes flashed and V.V.'s body went limp, his eyes closing as well.

"You can't kill me, so you stoop down to as low as your father's level… You remind me so much of him. It's a shame you didn't take my Code instead…" V.V. said. "We could have been partners and accomplish what your foolish father could not."

"I don't need your damn Code, you bastard… I already have somebody whose contract needs to be fulfilled. For helping my father attain his goal, this is what you truly deserve… Dying would be too sweet… May you never see this beautiful earth again, my uncle…" Lelouch took his contacts from V.V. back and put them in his eyes. "Jeremiah, will you take V.V. back to the base and make sure he's locked in the lowest and harshest part of our prison? I want him to rot for eternity there… You know, he is also responsible for my mother's death… Now, I need you to take me back, too, so I can get patched up."

Jeremiah smiled, "What! He deserved far worse than what you've given him… I say we chop him to pieces and force him to live for an eternity without his limbs!"

Lelouch gave Jeremiah a stern look. "Excuse me, Orange Boy?" Jeremiah smiled. "I mean… Of course, Zero!" They left the room with Jeremiah dragging V.V. by the hair. "I'm going easy on you, V.V. I'll be glad to kick your immortal-ass right here and now…"

"Master Zero," somebody said from behind the door to Lelouch's office, "the device connected to Cornelia's eye has been disassembled as you've asked."

"Good, good. May I speak with her alone?" Zero asked.

"Of course, Zero. She may be groggy from the sedatives, but you can if it's what you wish."

Zero stood up, gripping his chest as his wounds sent a shock of pain throughout his body. _Damn it… I really need to learn how to fight…_

Zero entered the operating room where he found Cornelia laying on a bed. She turned to look at him and he noticed a bandage wrapped around the half of her head where the Geass Canceller had been. "What do you want? Why don't you just kill me?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"I don't want to kill you… I mean that. I don't want to kill any more of my own family," Zero replied.

"How can you live with yourself after all you've done?"

"I just imagine the world I'm going to create, where Britannia is destroyed and its tyranny is stopped. And, you're wrong… It's more than revenge I'm after," he explained. "I've gotten the revenge on my father for what he's done to Nunnally and me, but I'm not stopping until Britannia is completely wiped off the face of this planet. I promised myself that I'd use my power to create a safe world for Nunnally to live in..."

Cornelia sneered at Lelouch. "Tch, how sweet… What about Odysseus?"

"What _about _him?"

"Did you allow him to live?"

"Yes, but I completely erased his memory of today. Nobody that's a threat to me will know my true identity anymore."

"I honestly don't care if you kill anybody else… I don't see any of the children of our father as siblings, anyways… except for Euphie." Cornelia turned her head away from Lelouch.

"Cornelia … I want you to know that killing Euphemia was a mistake…" Zero said in a sad voice.

"What do you mean by 'a mistake?'"

Lelouch began to explain what had happened, but Cornelia interrupted. "I don't want to know why you killed her… The fact is that you _did _kill her. Even if you didn't mean to, I still won't stop until you are dead."

"I'm not trying to get your forgiveness, Cornelia. I just thought you should know the truth."

"Why would I believe anything a terrorist tells me?"

"Because we're siblings, remember?"

Cornelia couldn't find anything else to say. Zero finished by saying, "Again, I'm not looking for forgiveness, but I'm sorry things turned out this way…" Before he could get a response, Lelouch left the infirmary and back to his office.

"How did it go?" C.C. asked as Zero entered, taking off his mask.

Lelouch put on a spare uniform that he pulled out of the closet. "It doesn't matter. She's the enemy and she'll remain the enemy."

"I see," C.C. said before taking a bite of pizza. "Lelouch, will you answer a question for me?" she asked.

Lelouch put Zero's outfit away. "What is it?"

"Why is it you've changed so much in the last couple of weeks? It's almost like you've become a totally different person."

"Is that bad?"

"I'm not sure yet. You just seem… different."

"It doesn't matter, okay? I'm still the same me as I've always been." Lelouch wondered if she could really tell something different about him. _Should I tell her everything? I mean, she's the whole reason I'm able to do any of this at all… Maybe I'll tell her later... For now, I have to get back to Ashford Academy before people start thinking I've gone missing._

"LULU!" Shirley exclaimed as she tightly squeezed Lelouch.

"Ow-ow-ow…! I'm sorry, Shirley… I'm a little scraped up…" he explained.

"I'm so sorry! I was just so worried, Lulu! I told Sayoko what happened and she ran out of the building without even saying anything…"

"So, you were really the one who saved me then? Thanks for getting Sayoko. If you hadn't done that, I would have been dead for sure…"

Shirley blushed. "Y-…You're welcome… By the way, Rivalz is wondering where you are. He texted me, but I told him I didn't know…"

"Well, I'll be sure to see him later."

"But… What about the Black Knights? Doesn't the emperor know your identity? What are you going to do?"

Lelouch smiled. "Don't worry, don't worry. I erased everybody's memory and had the Geass Canceller removed from Cornelia's eye. As long as somebody else isn't equipped with one of those and I don't know about it, I'll be fine."

Shirley smiled brightly, but her smile quickly turned into a scowl. "By the way, Lulu… You still owe me a date!"

-End Chapter-

Author's note: Woo! Two chapters in one week! Lucky you ;P Keep writing your reviews as usual, and I'll brainstorm more chapters. I actually have a lot of material I can use for chapters to come. I've finally gotten V.V. out of the way, which is a plus :T Especially V.V., because he hasn't even made an appearance until now! But, now he's gone ^-^

Look forward to the next chapter! :U


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